


Trust or Traps

by di93



Series: Inquisitorial Enigma [16]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dragon Age Quest: Demands of the Qun (Inquisition), Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 09:04:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10303082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/di93/pseuds/di93
Summary: When Kaaras decides to try to forge an alliance with the Qun, Dorian does not take it well, and Iron Bull nearly becomes an ice sculpture.





	

“Wait just a moment. I must have misheard that or you must have misread it. Let me see,” Dorian stopped Kaaras as he was reading through the report from the Iron Bull. Kaaras handed it over, and Dorian read through it quickly with a growing frown before snapping his head up to meet Kaaras’s eyes. 

“You cannot be serious,” he said with a glare, and Kaaras regarded him stone-faced. “You are! You are actually planning to go to the Storm Coast and work _with the Qunari_ in order to secure an alliance with them? Have you gone quite mad?” Dorian demanded as he glared down at the man, having already leapt to his feet in front of the couch. “You do realize how terrible of an idea this is, yes? Even if they don’t know that you were born under the Qun, this is just—How on in the name of all that is holy could you possibly have agreed to this?” 

“I know, Dorian,” he replied, and that stopped Dorian short and his glare sharpened. 

“So what, then? ‘This is definitely the worst plan known to man, but let’s do it anyway because I am quite skilled at surviving situations with impossible odds’?” 

“It’s not—just let me explain, alright?” 

“No. Absolutely not. There is nothing you could possibly say that would make this sound at all like a good choice.” 

“Dorian, just listen—” 

“No! Vishante kaffas. I am not going to just sit by and let you risk this!” he snapped and then stormed towards the door. “I’m going to speak to Leliana. If you won’t be reasonable, then surely she will.” 

“Dorian! Leliana agreed with me too, so if you would just listen—” 

“She did _what_? Maker, have all of you lost your minds?” 

“Please, Dorian. I’m trying to—” 

“No. If you’re going to do this, then no. I’m not going to stand by and just watch you throw away your life. Not like this. Not to _them_ ,” Dorian said, glare turning frigid before he turned back towards the door and marched down the stairs. “If you come to your senses, then you can come find me,” he said before slamming the door shut behind him. Dorian’s feet led him straight to the tavern, where he sat and ordered whatever Cabot could find first.  

Dorian could not imagine in what world Kaaras could possibly have thought that allying himself with the people who had bound and leashed him, who had pursued him, who wanted to kill him, could possibly be a good idea. At least in Skyhold, the man was more or less safe from them, but to willingly march into what was quite probably a trap? Even the Inquisitor, the Herald of Andraste, the man who came out of a confrontation with an Archdemon and an ancient magister that ended with an avalanche with little more than bruises and a chill, would not be able to make it out of that alive. 

“Hey, ‘Vint! You and the Boss get in a fight?” Bull asked as he leaned over the bar, nodding to Cabot for another round, and it took every ounce of restraint in his body for Dorian not to simply freeze the man solid right there so that he could watch him shatter into a thousand pieces. 

“No. _You_ are not going to talk to me right now. Not when all of this is entirely _your_ fault.” 

“My fault? What—oh. You’re not happy about the Storm Coast, I guess?” 

“‘ _Not happy_ _'_? Of all the foolhardy ideas the Inquisitor has had, joining with the _Qunari_ is by far the worst.” 

“Here I thought you had a thing for guys with horns.” 

“No, I trust the Inquisitor. A Vashoth. I do not trust _your_ people at all.” 

“Yeah? Well doesn’t seem that way.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“If you trusted the Boss, then you wouldn’t be sulking here because I’m guessing that he agreed to the plan for a reason. And if you’d listened to it, then you’d probably still be up there rolling around in bed with him instead of brooding in here and trying to forget about it because you would’ve trusted his decision.” 

“Yes, because you know so well what he’s thinking.” 

“I’m a people person. But, hey, I’m just giving you some friendly advice before you’re stuck with a hangover,” Bull said before taking his tankard back to his usual spot, laughing with Krem and the rest of the Chargers as Dorian glared into his mug. There was no way the Inquisitor had a plan that would make the situation any less foolish, and he was much more inclined to start drinking now and get a head start on the mourning of the man to whom he had become so foolishly enamored.  

Dorian didn’t return to his chambers that night and instead just stumbled into his alcove in the library once the Herald’s Rest closed. Eventually, he fell asleep on top of his _Liberalum_ research notes, and only woke late the next morning when the shrieks of Leliana’s crows seemed to rattle every bone in his body. He groaned when he woke, and immediately regretted it as it was much too loud, and he stood to try to tiptoe back to his own chambers. However, when he stood, a blanket fell to the ground, as did an envelope. He frowned and picked it up, and considered immediately tossing it into a fire. 

 _I want to be able to write a letter with passable_ _penmanship_ , Dorian recalled and his frown deepened at the unbidden memory.  

“Fasta vass,” Dorian cursed as he pocketed the letter and threw the blanket into his chair. Then he headed to his chambers and resisted the urge to slam his door shut for the sake of his hangover before tearing open the letter and reading the careful, simple script. 

 

 _Dorian,_  

 

 _Thank you for reading this even though you are angry with me._  

 

 _If you read this and still believe that I should not  seek the alliance, then I will call it off, but my advisors and I have thought this through._  

 

 _First of all, it is in everyone’s interests to take out the red lyrium shipment before it reaches Tevinter._ _Leliana has confirmed the information._ _If it reaches Tevinter, then_ _the Venatori’s position there will be strengthened. This will be bad for the Inquisition, Tevinter, and the resistance that M_ _agister_ _M_ _aevaris is organizing. Of course, we could take care of it on our own, or we could leave it to the Qunari to deal with, but that brings up the advantages of an alliance with the Qunari._  

 

 _An alliance with the Qunari would have large implications. They have never made an alliance with a foreign power before, as you know, and it could be one step in the direction of peace. That is, i_ _f Maevaris has her way in Tevinter, and if there are more magisters who have similar opinions to you, then with an alliance between the Inquisition and the Qunari, then the Inquisition could be in a position to help broker peace between Tevinter and Par Vollen._  

 

 _I am, however, Tal-Vashoth, which would weaken my position with both people. Even so, I believe having the chance to try would be a significant first step, much like the peace talks that will be taking place in Orlais._  

 

 _Now, Leliana’s reports say that while I am Tal-Vashoth, the Qunari are not interested in capturing me. I am more useful to t_ _hem as the Inquisitor since the Inquisition is in the best position to take down the threat of Corypheus and the Venatori. They seem to especially believe this is the case since the successful siege of Adamant Fortress, and removing the head of the Inquisition now would weaken the Inquisition’s ability to deal with these threats. They recognize this. To them, the Inquisition is still a useful tool, and as the Inquisitor, I am more useful where I am_ _than I am captured_ _._ _And i_ _f they wanted me dead, there_ _are far easier ways to go about it than this._  

 

 _I trust Leliana’s intelligence, but I also trust your judgment._  

 

 _Please drink some water and get something to eat. I will be in the old library._  

 

 _Kaaras_  

 

Dorian’s stomach churned in a way that was only partially due to the hangover. He sighed and set the letter down before moving about his room to freshen up and then drank some water as instructed. Then he headed down to the library, note in hand. 

“You’re still a fool, you know, but I’m an ass.” Dorian said as he walked into the library, and Kaaras turned around, giving him a cautious smile. 

“I wasn’t sure if you would read it,” he said, and Dorian set the letter down on the desk. 

“I did.” 

“What do you think, then?” 

“I think… that I’m still terrified for you. I cannot watch you be taken by them. I wouldn’t be able to stand it,” Dorian replied as he reached out and caressed the scar on Kaaras’s cheek. Kaaras leaned into the touch and Dorian’s heart constricted. “But, if Leliana is correct, as she always is, then you’re right. Having an alliance with the Qunari could be a great asset in the future, and at the very least, no one good will benefit from red lyrium spreading to Tevinter.” 

“You think I should do it, then?” 

“I do, but I’m going with you.” 

“But if—” 

“If it’s a trap, then we escape and kill everyone. You’re good at that,” Dorian replied with a small smile, echoing his own words from before meeting his father in Redcliffe.  

“Can I kiss you?” 

“If you promise to bring me along.” 

“I promise,” Kaaras agreed before pulling Dorian onto his lap and kissing him. 

“I apologize for not listening to you last night.” 

“No, it was… Well, I didn’t think someone could get so angry out of concern. Thank you for worrying about me.” 

“Honestly, could you not be so kind once in a while?” 

“Get me in a room with your father again, and we’ll find out.” 

“Oh? You would risk the negotiating power you mentioned in your note just to land a hit on Magister Halward?” 

“Probably.” 

“Oh, you are glorious,” Dorian smiled before leaning in to kiss him again. “I do wonder, though, why you didn’t do so the first time around. You may have missed your opportunity.” 

“Was more concerned about you than him, at the time. Been thinking about it a lot since, though.” 

“Thinking what, exactly?” 

“That you deserve better. That punching him wouldn’t help anything even though he really deserves it. That I’ll never understand how your family could be anything other than completely proud of you. That I can’t decide if I want to set Tevinter on fire and say ‘to hell with it’ or if I want to help people like you and Maevaris and Felix fix it somehow… That I really wish I’d decked him,” Kaaras replied with a growing frown as he stared unseeingly at a candle. Dorian felt full to bursting as he captured Kaaras’s lips with his own.  

“Do you regularly have the urge to run around punching people?” 

“It seems to be restricted to Tevinter magisters so far.” 

“Oh? Not just my father?” 

“Alexius, too.” 

“Ah, yes, of course. Although, I believe that he deserved a punch to the jaw even more than my father, considering the scope of his actions.” 

“Maybe. But I want to punch your father more than Alexius,” Kaaras replied with a shrug and Dorian gave a laugh. 

“So an attempt on your life, throwing you into the future, attempting to destroy the world, that you can forgive? But my father and I have a… falling out and you decide to hold a grudge?” 

“More or less.” 

“Well now I can almost see the cause for Mother Giselle’s concern. I didn’t even have to use blood magic to have you wrapped around my little finger.” 

“You wouldn’t have had to help me with learning to read and write either. Or kiss me. But I appreciate it all the same.” 

 “Your penmanship has improved, by the way.” 

“It took all night to write. The floor of my chambers is covered in crumpled parchment,” Kaaras replied even as his ears warmed with the compliment. 

“We can practice more,” Dorian said, and Kaaras smiled and nodded before kissing Dorian’s forehead. 

“Have you eaten?” 

“Not yet, no.” 

“Let’s grab something, then,” Kaaras said as he stood up, sliding Dorian from his lap, but Dorian reached up and kissed him again. 

“Promise me that you’ll be careful when we go to the coast.” 

“I promise.” 


End file.
